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2:30 pm ~ Sunday ~ August 20

New Voices

Eva Crocker. Photo: Alex Noel

Clea Young

Perhaps it’s in the genes or maybe it’s passed around the house like a virus. Whatever it is it’s interesting to note that both of this year’s New Voices are the offspring of writers. We have a bi-coastal event this year featuring Clea Young and Eve Crocker, two young writers who grew up in coastal communities on opposite sides of the country.

Eva Crocker lives in St. John’s Newfoundland and recently completed a master’s degree in English literature at Memorial University. Her stories have been published in numerous literary journals including Riddle Fence, The Overcast and The Telegram’s Cuffer Anthology. Her short story High Kick was shortlisted for the 2015 RBC Fresh Fish Award for Emerging Writers. Her debut collection of short stories is Barrelling Forward. The National Post called these deceptively ordinary stories “a refreshing change from self-important short fiction.” Fellow east coast writer Alexander MacLeod (coincidentally the son of a writer) called the collection “Honest, funny, smart and so, so well-crafted.”

Vancouverite Clea Young knows all about writers festivals: she is Artistic Associate at Vancouver Writers Fest. Apart from that her journey mirrors that of her east coast counterpart. She holds an MFA from UBC and has had her work published in a number of literary journals including Event, Grain, Room, The Malahat Review, Prairie Fire, Fiddlehead and The Journey Prize Stories (three times). Her first book, Teardown, is a short story collection. The stories are about people of her own millennial generation who often find themselves straddling the line between the irresponsibility of youth and the daunting prospect of responsible adulthood. “…12 stories that are as smart as they are astute.” Vancouver Sun.